Some Nights
by Gemtail
Summary: Mai is now a paranormal investigator and she has a new assistant: a wolf spirit named Kurohaku. Now having a little half sister, Kaede, to take care of, she has to earn enough money to keep them both afloat. Then a huge case turns up with a big check involved. However, other professional investigators are coming to compete for that check. What will come of this huge case?
1. The Case

**Okay, daily challenge for myself my dear tall tales (my readers): finish the vast majority of this story in one night and include a lemon for real this time, no empty promises and I have to get this done by Monday morning! Let's see if I can do it regardless if the story burns out or not! Ready! Set! Go!**

* * *

Mai watched as the monster came closer. She's seen this kind of ghost back at that mansion. However, people know better than to come here usually but it seems that he's already done away with a few people. It's another troubled soul that desperately didn't want to die. This is what happens when they resort to evil measures to figure out the key to immortality. This guy was a mad scientist that studied immortality through the human brain. His victims suffered horrible fates.

"Mai." it said menacingly.

She thought her ghost hunting days were over when Naru left but they came back to haunt her. Now she has troubled souls coming to her in her dreams for help. She learned to ignore some but this thing's victims couldn't be ignored. She actually got PTSD within a week of his victims bothering her. Having dreams of your head being sliced open and everything seemingly so real is not what she liked to call a pleasant dream. She watched as the monster came closer. She shot it with a gun full of rock salt. It was wounded and stunned from the shot. She quickly drew a pentagram-like circle around him until he couldn't move out of it. He struggled violently.

"Dark spirit, are you aware that you are already dead?" She asked.

It stopped moving, it's eyes went wide, and it let out a cry of anguish. Apparently, not until now. It roared and slammed its head on the ground before degrading back into just a ghost. He was now just a human ghost having a panic attack.

"No! There were so many things I haven't done yet!" He said.

"So why were you spending the majority of your life on research then?" she asked.

He laid his head in his hands and cried.

"If you passover now, you'll go to hell. Are you aware of it?" She asked.

He nodded and then looked at her.

"Is it avoidable?" He asked.

"Not really, no." She told him.

He curled into a ball.

"You can crossover at any time but you must leave this place or else I'll have no choice but to send you to hell." She told him.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because you can change back into the monster you were." She said.

"Alright, I'll go." He said, before leaving out the window.

The place felt lighter. It's clear now and she know he'll try to avoid the enivitable. It is possible for him to avoid hell depending on the amount of remorse he has. Right now, it's hard to tell if he's sorry he wasted his life or if he's sorry about what he's done.

She packed her things and left. Her PTSD miraculously suddenly went away. His victims have passed over peacefully. It's not uncommon for her to temporally have PTSD or insomnia even with her power. The owners of the building paid her for getting rid of the ghost and she took her leave. She's on her way out of this town after a goodnight's sleep. She laid in bed with her own thoughts to herself. She fell asleep peacefully, not a single dream that night. Peace at last!

* * *

Naru is at his house looking around his brother's room. He recovered some of Gene's old belongings. He found a journal; there was an entry about Mai. He had been following her for a few days. His last entry was made only a few days before he died. Naru had actually read this before he met Mai. This was one of the reasons why he took her in and paid her a lot of money. It's also part of the reason why he fell in love with her... and also the reason why he regrets leaving.

_Entry XXX_

_I've found a strange girl. She has a power of sort and it seems quite peculiar. It hasn't awakened much yet but enough to where I can detect it. I've decided to keep a close observation of this girl. So far, I've found out that her name is Mai Taniyama. It seems that she has no parents. I feel sorry for her. What must it be like to not come home to a family? I'm surprised to see that she's fairing fairly well for a girl of her age. She can't be any older than fifteen. I'll see what data I can get from her._

_Entry XXX_

_She's an interesting girl, I'll give her that. Okay, I'll admit it, she's adorable. How can I not think that? She always so trusting no matter who she meets and sees the best in everyone. She tends to be naïve but she's just a kid so that shouldn't be surprising. I think my feelings might be getting too involved with her._

_Entry XXX_

_I've found her talking to a toddler. The little girl seem to know her. It turns out that it's her little sister, half sister to be correct. Mai is trying to get her back but she's too young and she's not in a good financial situation. I wish there was something I could do to help; that child is the only thing she has. Mai has so much to carry on her shoulders. Yet, she still smiles the way she does, as if nothing's wrong. I want to help her but how do I approach her? It's not like I can say that I've been studying her or else she'll think of it as 'stalking'. I don't know what to do._

_Entry XXX_

_I like this kid. She just defended a stranger from some other people picking on him. She puts herself before others almost instantly and sees the best in them. She just a sweet girl. I think I should introduce her to Naru. He would definitely meet his match with this one. She's got guts and isn't afraid to give her opinion when standing up for someone or something she believes in. She also seems to have a short fuse despite her good nature. It would be interesting to see how they would get along. She doesn't seem to be one to bend to his will like most other girls. Although, I wouldn't like it if Naru stole her from me but, if she's actually his match, I will seriously do what I can to keep them together. Besides, she's too similar to me to be my girl anyway. I thought I was Naru's polar opposite but this girl is more opposite than I am to him. That is why I'd love to see how he'd deal with this girl. It would be hilarious!_

The entries ended there. Naru remembered the times he and his brother would actually watch people and talk about the kind of people they were. Of course, Gene always guessed almost spot on and these entries were the same: Mai was sweet, adorable, put others before herself, and Naru did meet his match. The thought of meeting his match shrank his ego but now, he doesn't even care much about anything. He cared for Mai a lot despite how much she got on his nerves. He nearly killed himself at that shrine just to prove a point to her; he just hated it when she thought of him like that. He always found himself reading these entries and he realized one thing; Gene wanted her to stay with him. The underlined area is proof of that. That was why Gene didn't bother to correct her about who he was in her dreams and that is why he didn't tell her right away about why he was contacting her. Even in death, he did what he could to get them to see each other. Naru didn't entirely know what to do as he sat there, reading the journal over and over again.

He finally came to a conclusion that night: he's going back. But, that's going to take awhile.

* * *

A year later, Mai hugged Kaede joyously. She was finally coming home with her. She had raised enough money to get her back and support them both. The orphanage was getting over ran and it was time that she got out of there. Of course, Mai will have to jump through some hoops to keep her but for now, she was happy that she had her back.

The toddler looked up at her with the same brown eyes Mai had. Her eyes and the shape of her face were the only things that made them look alike. Kaede's hair is a darker brown, almost black, and her skin is a little darker than Mai's. Kaede is part Columbian, which explains her appearance. Her dad was Japanese, Columbian, and was born in America.

She smiled brightly and eagerly followed Mai home. She acted as if the apartment was a mansion. The room she was kept in at the orphanage was small and they crammed fifteen other kids in there. They spent the entire day together. Mai took her to a playground and played with her regardless of what the game was from hide and seek to tag. She took her out to eat, shopped for some clothes, and some toys. Mai was happy to finally have her baby sister back. From then on, nothing could tear them apart.

Mai finally took her back home to get ready for bed. She got her into the bath and gave Kaede a bath toy that Mai saw online: bath paints. It's basically baby shampoo with food coloring in it. Kaede spent a long time painting the entire tub around her. Mai helped her get cleaned up, scrubbing her hair, washing her back, and whatever else needed cleaning. Mai rinsed her off and allowed Kaede to play for awhile and then took her out to dry off and get into some pajamas.

That night, Kaede insisted on laying next to Mai on her futon in her apartment. Mai allowed her to and they both fell asleep laying next to each other.

* * *

_One year later... _

_Mai's age: 18_

_Kaede's age: 5_

Mai checked her e-mail after taking Kaede to school. It was another case. Mai does her own ghost hunting now, helping with horrible cases involving monster ghosts that kill people or just harmless poltergeists. She has a secret assistant: a spirit that guards her. His calls himself Kurohaku, a wolf spirit. He's a black wolf with red markings that glow, which can throw people off about what he really is. Mai doesn't even know who he is for sure. He never shows his true form to anyone, not even Mai. Kurohaku probably isn't even his real name. He'll take the form of a scythe as well. He never usually talks to her outside of their job unless something is endangering Mai. Speaking of the devil, he appeared next to Mai.

"What do we got?" He asked.

"It looks like another monster." Mai said.

"Hmm... Seems aggressive. Do I get to have some fun this time?" He asked exitedly.

"Give me a minute; I need to look at the details. It looks like it attacks my client's husband and he's the only man in the house. Apparently, the apparition is a monster that'll take the form of a little girl. It convinced the client that she was a good spirit while attacking her husband at the same time. When he left, she got scratched. It seems that her daughters are wetting their beds because they're too afraid to leave their beds at night. Shadows are seen, the laughter of children was heard. Dolls are appearing in random places where they shouldn't. The cat died of a scratch that no one knows where it got it. Men that come in the house leave with scratches and some are known to have heard screaming, feel parts of their limbs go cold or fall asleep, if her husband is there, it will first attack the visitor lightly and then viciously attack him until the visitor leaves. Hmm... I think they have a harpy in their house. What do you think, Kurohaku?" She asked him.

"I think you're right. Harpies hate men and always manipulate women into liking them by appearing as a young girl. They love to pull pranks on children by scaring them until they are paralyzed with fear but it may get violent. These spirits usually form from young girls who grew up with an abusive father or women who had an abusive husband." Kurohaku said.

"Alright, let's do it. I'll get Bo-san to babysit Kaede." She said.

"Alright! Play time!" Kurohaku said.

* * *

Mai was left alone in the house that night. Mai walked around and used wireless motion detectors and cameras to look for the ghost. They are connected to the phone-watch on her wrist. She switched cameras to see if anything is on them yet. Seeing that the harpy knows Mai's there, she doesn't want anything to do with her or so it seemed.

All was quiet but then Mai heard something in the kitchen.

"Let's play!" Something said before some small little music was heard.

Mai walked into the kitchen cautiously. Below the table was a child's toy. Mai grabbed it and placed it onto the couch and tested to see if it was possessed but it wasn't. She decided to place it back into the play room but then she noticed that the dolls were rearranged in a circle in the middle of the room with an old looking doll that had a knitting needle through it. Mai placed the doll she had on a shelf and checked her camera that she put in there; it was turned off. Mai turned it back on before looking back. In the middle of the circle, holding the doll with the knitting needle through it, was a little girl rocking it like a baby. However, as innocent and cute as it looks, if you watch closely, you can see her slowly twisting the needle.

"Would you like to play with me?" she asked.

"No, I want you to leave. Leave this family at once!" Mai said to her firmly, as stern as she'd be to any child.

The girl stood up and suddenly screamed until it turned into a horribly, deafening, beastly, scream. The needle was hurled at Mai.

_Look out!_ Kuro told her.

Mai caught the needle instantly, just an inch away from her eye. When Mai looked back at where the girl was, she had disappeared and the dolls were scattered throughout the room. Mai walked out of the toy room and closed the door. Then Mai saw the doll she had just returned at her feet. She stepped over it and looked back but it disappeared. She looked in front of her and it was suddenly there just down the hall way and it started playing music and a child's laughter was heard. Mai sighed and she went down into the basement, the musical toy following her, continuously playing music. It would be behind her when she looked back. Mai drew a seal on the ground and decided to lure the Harpy out.

"Hey! Get your butt out here before I call back your daddy from the grave!" Mai shouted.

The air stirred. She's only annoyed it somewhat.

"I'm sure he's really missed you; the look on your face as he'd beat you, the screams, the power he felt as you laid there on the floor. Oh I'm sure he'd love to be back here to do it again!" Mai said, menacingly as the silhouette of a man appeared.

"Here he is now!" Mai said.

The harpy lashed out but Kurohaku suddenly phased out of the silhouette and grabbed her. She appeared in her full form: she looked like a woman with wings for arms and clawed hands sticking out the tops. Her legs were like that of a bird's and her eyes looked like any other demon's: glowing yellow with slitted pupils. She gave out a cry that would remind anyone of nails on a chalkboard. Kurohaku pinned her down as she tore and clawed him. His wounds healed as soon as she cut into him. Mai walked up to her and looked her in the eyes.

"You are dead, are you aware of that?" She asked it.

It didn't change, which meant that it knew.

"What you've been doing ever since you died will earn you a spot in hell and the last thing I want to do is send you there if it can be helped. If you keep this up, you'll leave me no choice." Mai told her.

She still didn't change.

"You are aware that your father will be waiting for you in hell, right?" Mai asked.

It paused and then squirmed to get out of Kurohaku's grip frantically. Kurohaku still held tight with a vice grip. She finally turned back into a teenage girl.

"Please don't send me to him!" She pleaded.

"I don't know, you only changed you mind when I mentioned him. You will eventually be sent to hell if you don't stop this." Mai told her.

"Okay! Okay! Just let me go!" She shouted.

"Leave this family and never come back or else I won't give you another chance." Mai said.

"I will! I promise!" She said.

Mai then put an 'X' on her.

"If you break that promise, this will send you to hell immediately." She told her.

"Okay! Let go!" She shouted.

Kurohaku let her go. She got up but suddenly turned around and changed back.

"Just kidding!" She giggled.

"Kurohaku." Mai said, holding her hand out.

"Right!" He said, suddenly forming into a scythe.

The 'X' actually keeps the harpy materialized. The harpy suddenly noticed this and Mai getting closer with the scythe. She scrambled to try and get through the wall but realized that it was hopeless. Mai raised her arms about to strike with a glare that froze the Harpy in place. The harpy closed her eyes but then felt the cold steel around her neck. The harpy turned back into a girl, this time for good.

"Last chance; take it or leave it." Mai said sternly.

"Alright!" The girl said, immediately leaving immediately.

The heavy air around the place grew lighter and Mai felt safer in the home.

"Analysis, Kurohaku?" She asked.

"There are no more ghosts or spirits within this area. Mission cleared." He said.

"Alright, thank you." She told him, allowing him to fade away in the air.

She gave the family a week to make sure the ghost was gone before she asked for any payment. It came in the mail a few days later. Mai has another job; writing for the newspaper and a school dj. She's already played music for a few school dances and she does it specifically for schools. In other words, she basically plays awesome but clean music and also organizes some fun dances but, like her ghost hunting job, it's more of a hobby and can't be relied on as her only job.

Her news articles are basically about her other jobs she does as hobbies. She's told stories of her job when she worked with Naru and even about what she does now but refers to Kurohaku as 'Kuro' (also his nickname usually). She'll also write articles about her sister or her friends or some of the times she's would play music at a school, like the time a little girl about the age of five asked her to play a very inappropriate song that she shouldn't have known the title of. It's funny when a kid talks about something they don't quite understand... at least, Mai hopes she didn't understand. Her sections in the paper is titled Some Nights. Here's today's entry.

_Kuro and I picked up on a new case. The family was being harassed by the corrupted spirit of a teenage girl that we believe to be a harpy. She would attack any men that came into the house, particularly the man of the house. He wasn't even able to go into his house anymore after three huge scratches appeared on his back. They were NOT cat scratches, they were huge! It was shocking. The picture of the cuts is what made Kuro and I go to their house to investigate. The children are too afraid to move from their beds at night to even go to the bathroom, dolls would appear in places they shouldn't be, and the laughter of a little girl can be heard in the halls. The most active places were the playroom, the halls, and the basement._

_I didn't feel anything when I went into the house but the spirit doesn't mind women being in the house. Kuro felt like cold hands were trying to grab ahold of his neck. We set up our cameras and I got started as soon as I could. I had the family leave us. At first nothing happened but then I heard something come from the kitchen. I followed the noise and under the table was a child's toy that played music. It asked me to play. I picked it up and turned it off. I took it back to the play room but when I got in there, there was a circle of dolls in the middle of the room surrounding an old looking doll with a knitting needle through it. I placed the other doll I had somewhere and checked my camera I had set up: someone had turned it off. _

_I turned it back on and then I turned to see a little girl holding the old doll and rocking it like a baby. It looked innocent but she was twisting the needle into the doll. She looked up at me and asked if I wanted to play to which I replied 'no' and I demanded her to leave the house. She stood up and screamed. Kuro suddenly warned to look out and I caught the knitting needle just an inch away from my eye. The dolls that were in a circle were scattered around the room. I left the room only to find the same doll from under the table at my feet. I stepped over it and I went down the hallway but when I looked back, it disappeared but then I looked ahead and it was at the end of the hall way and it was there and it started playing music. _

_I decided to leave it and move to the basement. It sounded like it was following me and when I'd look back, it would be right behind me. The ghost had a childish spirit so I wasn't surprised: it's all a game to her. I provoked her out by talking about her father and my assumption was right: she had an abusive father. She attacked me but Kuro stopped it and the spirit revealed itself to be a Harpy, which is a demon to some but it's actually the troubled soul of a girl that had been abused by a man in some way. I told her that if she kept this up, she'd go to hell and that her father would be happy to see her there. I was threatening to exorcise her. She lied to us by turning into her normal form and Kuro let her go only to try and attack us but Kuro stopped her and said a prayer to exorcise her. She turned back into a girl and quickly left out through a window. The heavy air that I never noticed suddenly lifted and the house felt safe. No other events occurred since. _

She finished the article and sent it in. She was given her pay later that day. Then she got a call to go somewhere; a horribly haunted mansion. Kuro listened in and his fur pricked with excitement: it's a juicy case. He might just be able to feast on a soul it was that bad. He smacked his chops at the thought of finally getting a pure evil monster soul in his jaws. All Mai was thinking was a huge check that can keep her and Kaede afloat for a couple years.

"Kuro, it looks like it's time for you to take your materialized form. You think you can do that?" Mai asked.

"Certainly, sweetheart." He said with a grin.

* * *

Naru was just drinking some tea when Lin came in with a bunch of news articles. Lin had found a huge case involving something dangerous. There was a mansion nearby where people are said to disappear and then turn up dead. There was a huge check involved. Naru wasn't concerned about it and was about to ignore it until he saw who was on the list of people to come; Mai Taniyama.

"Mai? What the hell is she doing?!" Naru asked.

This was the first time Lin had seen Naru in hysterics. It took awhile for him to calm down.

"There's no way in hell she's doing this alone! Get the equipment together!" Naru said.

"Right away." Lin said.

* * *

**I got into this one! Let's see where it shall lead us!**


	2. Restless Night

**Here we go again, my tall tales! Let's go!**

* * *

_Case description:_

_Steinback Manor_

_Use: the old owner loved kids and would take in several orphans_

_Unusual occurrences: a huge number of children disappeared long ago in the manor_

_Original owner: He was very quiet, not very social, but loved kids. Has been convicted of rape several times but bribed his way out of trial until he, too, disappeared into the mysterious manor._

_Letter:_

_Dear Mai Taniyama,_

_After seeing your articles on the newspaper, we humbly ask you to come and help us investigate The Steinback Manor. The staff have been chased through the halls by apparitions of what they claim to be hellhounds, objects are being moved, some maids have been having dreams of being raped, unusual sounds are heard, and unusual creatures are seen. Some staff have even died of sudden deaths that no one can tell what the cause was. We beg of you to help. The reward will be a huge check. _

_Thank you,_

_Manager of Steinback Manor staff._

* * *

Mai got off the plane and picked up her luggage. She had someone help her wheel out a giant kennel. Inside was a huge black dog with brown eyes that almost looked red.

_This is so humiliating!_ Kuro said.

_It's only for a little longer._ Mai told him.

He sighed and just rested his head on his paws. The kennel was rented from the air port so as soon as they were out of there, he was let out. She got a taxi and had Kuro to stay in the back. Kuro's materialized form is huge; probably bigger than any wolf that ever existed. He took up the entire back seat of the taxi. Kuro helped Mai carry her things to the hotel. Everyone stared at Kuro. Kuro made her look like a dwarf. His shoulders were almost level with hers. Even by any dog's standards, Kuro was huge.

They got into the hotel room. It had two beds; one for Mai and one for Kuro. Kuro rested in his bed and let out a sigh.

_Home sweet home._ He said before falling asleep.

They got here at about two in the morning, so both of them were pretty jet lagged. Mai decided to get into the shower. She got out with only a towel on. She started to get dressed. She heard Kuro wolf whistle in her head and she rolled her eyes.

_Oh shut up. It's not like you haven't seen me naked before._ Mai told him.

_I know...Naru is missing out._ Kuro said as Mai put some underwear on.

She blushed for a second but then rolled her eyes again after getting a shirt on.

_I'm serious! I often wonder which of you lost when he left. In my opinion, he seriously lost a fine piece of ass._ Kuro said as Mai put pants on.

_You're such a perv!_ Mai said.

_I know, sweetheart, I know._ He chuckled before resting his head on his paws.

"Goodnight." She said before turning off the lights.

_Hey Mai._ Kuro said.

"What?" She asked.

_I've seen you naked!_ He said in a low, suggestive, growl and his eyes glowed slightly.

He suddenly got hit hard in the face with a pillow and he laughed.

"Now you've turned into a creep!" She said, flustered.

_Love you, Mai baby._ He laughed.

Mai rolled her eyes and rolled over to face the wall. She could still hear Kuro's tail thump against his bed.

* * *

Everyone was gathered around a table at the mansion. A total of five other teams were there.

"Is everyone here accounted for?" the manager asked.

"Mai Taniyama isn't here ye-" Another man began.

He was cut off by Mai zooming in through the door. She paused to catch her breath.

"Sorry I'm late. I over slept." She said.

Naru gaped at her. Yeah, he knew she was coming but he remembered her as that sixteen year old girl he hired, not the eighteen year old woman she's become. Her hair had gotten longer, her body had obviously matured nicely giving her a fairly curvaceous form, and yet, her personality and habits haven't changed much. Naru didn't know if he should be relieved or worried about the last one.

"It's alright, we're glad you could make it. We could use all the help we can get late or not. So where's Kuro?" the manager asked.

"Kuro couldn't make it so I got my other assistant to come with. Come, Haku." Mai said.

In came Kuro and everyone gaped at him. He couldn't help but grin at their reactions. **(A/N: Kurohaku can go by either name.)**

"A dog?" The manager said.

"Haku won't cause any trouble. He's helped me before." Mai said holding his face in her hands.

He gently licked her nose. She made her way to a seat and sat down, Haku resting his head in her lap. He noticed Naru staring at them both. Haku decided to see if Naru was the jealous type. He nuzzled against her more and smirked at Naru as Mai ran her hand through his fur. Naru didn't give much of a reaction but Haku could see it in his eyes; he's irritated. However Haku started feeling a little territorial over Mai.

_You have a lot to prove if you think you can just swoop in and take her from me!_ He thought to himself.

Haku assessed his new rival: he had midnight blue hair with dark blue eyes that nearly matched. His clothing didn't entirely show much to tell Haku of his build be he knew that this guy probably had a decently built one. Naru was staring at Mai but Haku shifted to get his attention. Haku and him locked eyes and glared holes into each other's eyes and one could swear that the temperature changed in the room.

Suddenly, Haku's fur prickled when he felt something evil eyeing Mai and it wasn't Naru this time. He growled lowly and saw that it was behind Naru. He got up and jumped onto the table. Mai noticed the monster behind Naru as well.

"Naru, don't move." Mai said.

"What?" He asked.

"Control your dog, Mai!" Lin said.

"It's not Naru he's growling at." Mai said, pointing at a mass behind him.

It fazed into Naru's body and Naru smirked before also growling. Lin saw it go into Naru as well and held him back.

"Something got into him!" Lin said.

Haku grinned gleefully.

_Oh goody! An excuse to attack your boyfriend!_ He said gleefully.

Haku charged and pinned Naru down before grabbing ahold of what got into him. He pulled it out gently. If he pulls it out too hard, he might take Naru's soul with it. He pulled out what was in Naru and it squirmed in Haku's jaws but then it suddenly broke loose and tossed Haku back into a wall. He got up and chased after it but it fazed through the wall.

"What was that?" Someone asked.

_Something has a hard-on for you, Mai._ Haku said rather amused as she rushed to his side.

_What was it?_ She asked him.

_It's one fucked up piece of work is what it was._ He said with a grin.

_Let me guess: you want to devour its soul?_ Mai asked.

_There's no fixing it so yes I do. This one is a pure evil demon. My fur pricks with excitement of it's taste!_ He said, licking his chops.

Naru was looking at them. Haku grinned and nuzzled against Mai. She smiled and hugged him.

_I'm glad you're okay._ She said to him.

_Me too._ He said, smirking at a rather irritated Naru.

_That's right, Naru! She's mine!_ He thought at him with a smirk.

His smirk widened when Naru reacted to his thought with widened eyes.

_Oh good! You can hear me! This is gonna be fun!_ He said.

* * *

Mai was setting up her equipment, standing on Haku's back for help to hook up one of her wireless ceiling cameras. It was the last one. She tried to get off of his back but he kept her on his back, opting her to just ride him. She held onto his thick neck fur as he bolted through the halls. They suddenly were in front of one of Naru's cameras. He paused and smirked at it with a cocky grin.

_Mine!_ He said, knowing that Naru had probably seen them.

He was rewarded with the temperature suddenly dropping. Yep, Naru is full on jealous. He strutted away before taking off into a full on run when he rounded the next corner. He and Mai explored the mansion: there were several fun rooms; one full of mirrors like a fun house, another room had small pools with stepping stones in them, one room was actually a merry-go-round with mythical creatures to ride, and there were many other strange rooms. The architecture looked somewhat gothic with statues of mythical creatures such as chimeras, unicorns, griffins, and dragons. The majority of the walls where painted red and some were extravagantly painted with different designs. The hallways were dark and decorated with carvings of mythical creatures on the side. There was a huge garden area with a huge fountain in the middle of it and a hedge maze. Finally, after looking around, Haku decided that it was time to go back to base.

He passed by Naru's base room. He jumped over other cameras and bounced off of walls before finally going back to their base where Naru was waiting.

"Naru?" Mai said, getting off of Haku.

"Mai, we need to talk." Naru said.

_Oh hell no! I wanna talk to him first!_ Haku said, grabbing Naru and dragging him out.

"You can hear him?" Mai asked surprised.

"Yeah. You can, too?" Naru asked just as surprised.

_Yes, she can. Now you're coming with me!_ Haku said, dragging him out of the room.

Mai had a feeling that Kurohaku was probably going to either chew him out or say some embarrassing things. Either way, she knew that she didn't want to know what they were saying until all of this was over. Haku dragged Naru down the hallway and into another room.

_Listen here, human. You have a lot to prove to me before I even let you anywhere near my master._ Haku snarled.

Naru was taken aback by his sudden serious tone. He thought for sure that this dog was just going to jokingly proclaim Mai as his own or something. He grew irritated. Who the hell does this dog think he is to tell him what to do?

_And exactly why are you endangering her life by bringing her here? Let her come with me. _Naru said.

Then Haku growled louder and suddenly tackled him. His eyes glowed red and his markings suddenly appeared, his teeth were razor sharp and his pointed purple tongue lolled out menacingly.

_How dare you tell me that I'm endangering her life?! She would have come here without me even if I decided not to help! I am her guardian! Her partner! And her best friend! Who the hell are you to say that?! Especially after you left her!_ He roared into his mind angrily.

Naru went quiet.

_Aaaaw! Did I hit a nerve? Good! _Haku spat before getting up off of him.

Haku began walking away.

_By the way, I'm only agreeing to let Mai stay with you because that thing has a hard-on for both of you. The sooner I take care of it, the sooner I can get Mai out of here and away from you._ Haku said as he turned back into his dog form.

* * *

Mai was relieved to have the company of other people even if it's Lin, Naru, and Madoka. She leaned back against Haku as he laid on the floor. She was talking to Madoka about Kaede while Naru and Lin kept an eye on the cameras. The men quietly listened to the conversation between the two women.

"So then I caught her writing on her face with markers. I acted like nothing was wrong and I took her out like usual. She didn't think she did anything wrong until a lot of people started giving her looks. She finally asked me if she could wash her face after a few people laughed at her. She hasn't done it again since." Mai said.

"That's funny. I'll remember that one." Madoka said.

"Isn't that kind of mean?" Lin asked.

"Wouldn't yelling have been just as bad? I personally think it was actually a good idea to let the kid find out that way." Madoka said.

"True. She did learn better that way." Naru said.

"Okay, it is kind of funny." Lin chuckled.

"So she's just a half sister?" Madoka asked.

"Yeah. Her father was part Columbian so it's kind of hard to see the resemblance." Mai said, taking out a picture.

"Aaaw! She's so cute. Actually, you both have the same eyes. It's not that hard to see." Madoka said grabbing the picture and showing it to the guys.

"She does have some resemblance to you. I'd believe you were sisters if I heard it from someone else." Lin said.

Naru didn't say anything and just looked at the picture. Mai and Kaede were both at a playground. Kaede was on Mai's back with a huge smile on her face and Mai smiled back at her with a loving smile. Naru was happy that he was able to give Mai enough money to get her back but... He just wished he was there to see it. Haku raised his head and looked at Naru with a questioning look. He just now felt something change in Naru's wavelength. What just happened? Strong emotions only do that.

Haku had only been with Mai for a year. She has been taking care of evil spirits without his help but now, with him, she's been taking on daring cases and even got rid of her rock salt guns. He will admit, Mai is putting herself out there more than she should and she's gotten almost too confident. He rested his head back into his paws. He'll admit, Naru isn't too far off about bringing her here but it's either let her do it alone and die or to come with.

_I really don't want Mai to be here._ He said to Naru.

_Why?_ Naru asked.

_Mai is getting too confident. It's been worrying me, Naru. Especially since whatever is here is strong enough to knock me back._ Haku said.

_What? Are you saying that you may not be able to protect her?_ Naru asked.

_Yeah. I'm strong enough but I'm just afraid she might do something stupid and that I may not get to her in time. I love this girl and I'd do anything for her but if I lost her, I don't know what I'd do._ He said.

_Then we'll both keep an eye on her._ Naru said.

Haku looked at him.

_You know, you're alright, for a narcissistic bastard._ He told him with a grin.

Naru chuckled and the others looked at him with a questioning look. Haku shook his head and rested his head in his paws as Mai fell asleep. Suddenly, Haku felt something in the room... and it was inside Mai's body... Wait... It was Mai herself that was the problem! He tried talking to her but their was no response.

* * *

Mai felt cold hands all over her body. They were covered with blood. She could see but she couldn't move or talk. Then she felt a set of cold lips against her own. She saw that she was in the iron tight embrace of some kind of monster. It suddenly forced her mouth open and the taste of blood and the smell of death filled her mouth as it's tongue coiled around in her mouth like a snake. Mai tried to move, scream, kick, bite, to do something! However, her body just wouldn't move.

Then she felt one of its clawed hands move between her legs and trailed one of its own claws around her inner thighs. Tears fell from Mai's eyes as she tried to tell her body to move but all she could do was watch as it violated her. It snaked it's long tongue around her neck area and under her shirt. She frantically tried to move but she was still paralyzed. It's tongue probed every inch of the upper part of her body, moving much like a snake, before settling right over her sensitive neck, an unwanted pleasure coming from this treatment.

It's claw suddenly went higher and higher. Mai tried to move as much as she could but she was still frozen. The claw was dancing over her underwear. Mai tried to scream at it to stop but nothing came out. Then its claw poked a hole right through her underwear and...

* * *

Mai jolted awake as Kurohaku stood over her with something in his mouth; a tentacle-like structure. He ate it before looking down at Mai with concern but he was masking another emotion.

_Are you alright?_ He asked.

Mai was chilled, her skin had gone pale, her breathing was heavy, and she had tears pouring out of her eyes. She made a few weird noises, trying to say something.

_Mai, take your time. Tell me what attacked you?_ Haku said.

"N-n-night... Spirit." She said, shakily.

Haku's fur bristled, his claws dug into the floor, and he growled loudly.

_Oh it's so going to pay! What was it? Incubus? Succubus? Tell me!_ He demanded.

Mai didn't say anything else and just shook.

_What happened?_ Naru asked.

_Something just raped her in her dreams, that's all I know. _He said.

Naru's fist clenched in anger.

_However, now that I think about it, it's not behaving like an incubus or succubus. I would have been able to have detected it a lot sooner. I think we're dealing with the corrupted soul of a rape victim or a serial rapist. Either way, I won't forgive the damn thing for violating Mai._ Haku said.

_Do you know where it is?_ Naru asked.

_No, not yet._ He said.

Then someone ran down the hallway screaming. Something was chasing him. It was the manager that hired them who was being chased. Haku pinned it down but it fazed through the floor but then Haku couldn't sense it anymore: it disappeared. The manager ran away somewhere else. Then sounds were made upstairs.

_I know what it is! It's a projector and a powerful one, too! I should have known!_ He said suddenly running back into the room.

Haku pinned Mai down and growled.

_Haku! What are you doing?!_ Naru asked.

_Nice try on fooling me! You took her place while I was talking with Naru, didn't you? Where is she?_ He snarled, shaking it until it suddenly turned back into a faceless monster.

It's only a fragment of the powerful spirit. Haku ingested it and its memories flashed into his mind.

_This way!_ He said to Naru.

Naru followed him. Haku suddenly grabbed Naru and pulled him onto his back. He ran into the main entrance area where a lot of people were trying to get out but they couldn't open the doors. Haku suddenly smashed through a wall that showed a hidden entrance. He ran into a huge room were skeletons all around were seen. They were all children. The room was dark and resembled an old dungeon. There were cells all around with chalk drawings in them. Mai was chained to a wall against a skeleton with black bones and red rubies were planted into its eye sockets. There were decorative carvings in the bones and some jewelry was seen along with some other jewels encrusted within it. They were chained at the end of the room.

Haku sliced apart the shackles with his claws and Naru caught Mai when she fell. The skeleton suddenly came alive and reached for Mai, restraining against it's chains.

"GIVE ME BACK MY CHILD!" It shouted in a feminine voice.

Naru was about to do something but then Haku stopped him.

_Don't! It's an innocent spirit. She's just trapped here._ He told him.

_Who is she?_ Naru asked.

_The wife of the old owner. She couldn't have children of her own so they took in orphans. The reason why they're both drawn to you and Mai is because you're both orphans. This one is drawn to Mai to protect her and chained her to herself to keep her there. But her husband has been known to rape girls, even some of the children they took in. She came down here to comfort the children her husband would punish but then he caught her and chained her here and even now, in her death, she's still imprisoned. Mai was still stuck in that dream but it appears that this lady had brought her out of it._ Haku said.

_How do you know this?_ Naru asked.

_The fragment that disguised itself as Mai had given me memories._ He answered.

_Can we free her?_ Naru asked.

_From the chains, yes, but she won't leave this place until her husband has been expelled from here._ Haku said, cutting her loose.

Her skeleton fell into a pile but her spirit was now visible. She suddenly hugged Mai and Naru. Mai woke up.

"Huh? Naru? Who's this?" Mai asked.

The spirit looked at her with a warm smile.

"Oh, it's you. Thank you, Eliza." Mai told her.

"Anytime, dear." She said.

Suddenly, a shadow started to form at the other end of the room. Haku ran towards it but then it dodged him and went straight towards Mai and through her body. Eliza kept ahold of Mai as it did. She glared at it as Mai passed out in her arms.

"Haku! You're a soul hound! Surely you can do better than this!" Eliza shouted.

Haku suddenly turned into his full form, his eyes glowing red, his teeth sharp, his markings glowing a menacing red, and his fur bristled into spikes. Kurohaku chased it around the room and kept it away from Mai.

_Naru, I need your help._ Kurohaku said.

_What can I do? I can't_ even_ do anything to that thing without killing myself._ He told him.

_First of all, if you really do feel as strongly for Mai as I hope, then that shouldn't bother you. Second, I'm not asking you to do that. Hold out your hand and don't hesitate no matter how weird this may be._ Kurohaku said.

Naru did as he was told and then Kurohaku disappeared somewhere. The black mass suddenly rushed towards him. Out of reflex Naru moved to block it and brace for something to it him but nothing came and the mass was knocked back. Naru suddenly noticed that something was in his hand. He looked to see a scythe completely black in color, even the blade, and it had glowing red markings all over it.

_Haku?_ Naru asked, not sure if this was real or not.

_That's not my real name, kid. My name is actually Kurohaku. In some of Mai's stories, I am called Kuro._ He said.

_You and Kuro are the same?! That actually explains a lot._ Naru said.

_This is no time to talk. Now fight!_ Kurohaku said, straining forward towards the recovering monster.

The monster suddenly recovered and flew back towards them.

_Naru, that power you have, use it._ He told him.

_What? No!_ Naru said, knocking the monster back with the scythe.

_I won't let it kill you, trust me. Mai and I have done this several times. I just don't need to help you draw yours out like I have to with Mai. Besides, I wouldn't forgive myself if I let you die. You're too important to Mai for even me to kill._ Kurohaku told him.

Naru saw the monster coming back towards them.

_We're the only two standing between him and Mai. Do you really want to let it get to her? Do you want to lose her forever?_ Kurohaku asked.

Memories flashed through Naru's head of when he and Mai worked together. He never really smiled except once but he was content even happier at the time although he never always showed it. He never even cared about Mai until he met her personally. She was probably the first girl that never initially fell for him even if it didn't really take her long afterwards. She treated him equally and wasn't afraid to snap at him for being rude, which he hated at first, but then found himself pissing her off just to see her reaction. She was the first girl he genuinely smiled at in a long time. She meant the world to him.

He didn't give another thought and allowed his power to come alive. Kurohaku took it but was surprised as to how much Naru had. He felt like he was being drowned in this power.

_Whoa shit! Where the hell did this come from? How the hell are you able to keep this in?!_ Kurohaku asked incredulously.

_I've always had to fight to keep this down. Now what do we do?_ Naru asked.

_Simple! You slice at him on my mark. Here he comes! Prepare yourself!_ Kurohaku told him.

Naru prepared to strike while Kurohaku focused Naru's power to the tip of his blade. Air whirled around them powerfully and the tip of Kurohaku's blade glowed. The monster came straight for them.

_Now!_ Kurohaku told him.

Naru struck and a huge power was expelled from the blade and it hit the monster, causing the spirit to retract into a small, green orb. Kurohaku turned back into his real form and took the corrupted soul into his mouth. He walked back to Naru.

_This soul has been horribly corrupted ever since birth. What I hold in my mouth is the result. I must devour it and obtain whatever power it has to offer me. When I finally lay to rest, the soul will be purified and I'll escort it along with several to the heavens above._ Kurohaku told him.

Mai suddenly woke up and Kurohaku walked up to her with the soul in his mouth.

_Look what I got!_ He said proudly.

"How? I thought you had to-" She began.

_Naru is one hell of a guy.__ If I were any weaker, that power he had stored up would have drown me._ He told her.

Mai smiled up at him, happy that he's gotten along with Naru.

"Swallow that thing. You're drooling all over me." Mai told him.

He smirked and swallowed it whole. Mai tried getting up but she fell over. Kurohaku kept her up.

"It looks like my husband had absorbed some of her energy when he took her." Eliza said.

Naru picked her up and she protested at first but then she realized she didn't have the strength for it. She leaned against him and huffed before falling asleep.

"She'll be fine. Take care of her, Naru." Eliza told him.

"I will... but why are you still here?" Naru asked her.

"I wanted to make sure you two got out okay. I'll leave as soon as I know you're both safe." She told him.

"Alright." Naru said.

Naru suddenly noticed Lin and Madoka gaping at the scene still in shock of what Naru and Kurohaku did.

"They've been there awhile." Eliza giggled.

Naru looked at them for a second before heading to the door.

"Can you two pack up the equipment? I'm going to get Mai out of here." Naru said.

"Umm... Sure." Lin said.

* * *

Mai awoke in another room somewhere she's never been before. The sheets of the bed she was on were dark and some familiar looking clothes were hanging in the closet. She realized that she was in Naru's house in his room on his bed. Naru came in with some tea before she had much time to react.

"How long was I asleep?" She asked.

"Only an hour." Naru said, giving her a cup.

She drank it gratefully, the warmth relaxing her body a lot more. It made her feel more relaxed and tired. Kurohaku looked in.

_I told him to get you some tea. You looked like you were having some bad dreams but Eliza made sure you wouldn't remember them when you wake up. However, you'll still be having a restless night. I suggest you keep Naru around for a bit. I have some business to attend to. That mansion still has frightened souls within it. I need to put them at peace. Only then will your dreams stop but it may take me the entire night. I'll take my leave. Get some rest if you can, Mai baby._ He said before leaving.

Whenever he called her that, it sounded like he was saying 'my baby' instead of what he means. He intended it to sound like that and it made it more special. However, Mai would NOT allow anyone else to call her that, not even Naru, which would sound weird coming out of him anyway. Naru sat on the edge of the bed. He wanted to talk to her about something but he never was good with words. However, he decided that if Mai actually fell in love with him and only him, she would understand this fact.

"I guess you have a lot of questions, don't you?" She asked him.

"Yes I do. What were you doing taking on a case like that?" He asked.

Mai looked away.

"I thought I could handle it and I guess I relied on Kurohaku too much." She said.

At least she was able to admit her mistakes. Naru was glaring at her angrily.

"You were lucky I came when I did. If I hadn't have seen your name on the list, I normally wouldn't have cared to-" He began but then caught what he said.

Okay, he just admitted he cared and although he's not blushing, this is probably as close to flustered as he'll get. Mai looked at him surprised but then she smiled.

"I didn't think you would miss me _that_ much." Mai giggled.

Naru collected the tea cup from her and got up to leave.

"You mean more to me than you think." He said before leaving.

Mai was surprised to hear him say that but she was delighted to hear that he still cared. She used to beat herself up for confessing her feelings to him because she thought maybe she actually did fall in love with Gene. But she knew now that she was in love with Naru and no one else. She wondered how important she was to him. Mai had a memory of talking to the others about Kaede but the projection turned it into a form of a dream to have her say the exact things she normally would. Naru should still have the picture of her and Kaede in his pocket. Seeing the way he looked at it earlier, she decided to let him keep it if it's brought up.

Mai turned over onto her side and turned off the lamp next to her bed. She figured that Naru wasn't going to come back. Then she heard the door open and close. Naru's quiet footsteps treaded through the room and he sat on the edge of the bed. Mai decided that she'll jump scare him but then she felt his hand on her side, causing her to freeze in place. Naru wouldn't do this, would he? She grabbed his hand and looked back at him. It was actually Naru.

"I thought something was trying to grab me for a second." Mai said, relieved.

"What makes you think I'd let something unwanted stay in my house?" He asked.

Mai relaxed and let go of his hand.

"I just wasn't expecting you to sneak up next to me and actually touch me in any way." Mai said.

Naru had been thinking while he was putting the tea cup away and he decided that if she was going to spend some time around him, he was going to make the most of what he could. Naru smirked.

"You disappoint me. I'm far more powerful and fearsome than anything either of us had faced." He chuckled, showing her his actual smile.

Mai grabbed his hand again and held it.

"So what are you doing back here?" She asked.

"To keep an eye on you." He told her.

Mai tugged at his hand to pull him closer. Getting the hint, he laid next to her and he held her against him. Naru hasn't held a girl like this for a very long time. Hell, ever since Gene died, all he cared about was finding him and then he met Mai. Naru has dated several girls before that but never even considered a serious relationship, opting to just keep them until they bored him or started getting too serious. Now here he is with a girl he actually cares about and despite being with other girls, he had no clue as to what to do with Mai. Naru knew one thing: he will do everything he can to keep her. He suddenly realized just exactly how long it had been since he's been with a woman; he desperately wanted her more and more the longer he held her. He kissed the top of her head and decided to wait and see what happens.

Mai was at first, sleepy but now she was in the arms of the one man she loved and she wanted him badly. How can she possibly fall asleep now? Mai had never been able to date any guys for very long after she had gotten Kaede back. First of all, she needs a serious relationship because she can't afford to just have one for fun nor does she want one. Second, she needs a guy who has a good financial situation because she already has a mouth to feed. Finally, none of them were Naru. Mai is normally careful and doesn't try anything too risky but she couldn't help but decide to make an exception.

She suddenly kissed Naru on the lips. Naru was surprised by this but he more than welcomed it. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around her. Her hand suddenly went under his shirt. He stopped her and she looked up at him with her eyes clouded with lust.

"Mai, are you sure you want to be doing that?" he asked her.

"Yes I am." She said.

"You're aware of what you're asking, right?" He asked her.

She nodded, her cheeks flushed a little. He kissed her again and climbed over her. This time, he didn't stop her from unbuttoning his shirt.

* * *

**I'll stop it here for today. I think one more chapter will suffice after this one.**


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